


this is our battle cry

by weasleytook



Series: Fight Like a Girl [2]
Category: Sharknado (Movies)
Genre: Amnesia, Canonical Character Death, F/F, Female Friendship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Relationship, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 06:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8963368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleytook/pseuds/weasleytook
Summary: Nova finds Skye and Skye finds herself, and together they fight like hell.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [100indecisions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/100indecisions/gifts).



> Takes place post Sharknado 2, but also partly around Sharknado 3. You really only need to know who Nova and Skye are for it to matter though. Also, it's Sharknado, so I'm not sure the plots of the actual movies matter. Do they? (For those not caught up on the movies, Skye is Vivica A. Fox and Lucas is Frankie Muniz. The rest is self explanatory?)
> 
> Anyway, I loved writing this for you and hope you enjoy it! Happy Yuletide!
> 
> Thanks to my beta. All remaining errors are solely my own!

Nova finds out about New York via text message. One of her friends from California texts to ask if she’s watching the news. She’s not, but she turns it on immediately and stays glued to it for the next few hours. 

She isn’t the least bit surprised to see Fin and April once again at the center of the chaos. Nova had moved all the way across the country to get away from being labeled the girl who was swallowed by a shark, but those two had soaked up all the media coverage they could get.

Her other reason for moving had been in hopes there’d be no more sharknadoes, but here it was, this time just a two-hundred and fifty mile drive down the coast from her place in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.

One sharknado is random, unbelievable even, and something you’d never think could happen twice. Two sharknadoes in subsequent years, both of them swirling around Fin Shephard: that’s something else entirely.

She had been enjoying a quiet life, where sharks stayed in the water and she stayed away from sharks, but now everything was going to have to change.

“Sonofabitch,” she whispers to herself. 

 

~

 

She finds Lucas first, on the internet of course, because that’s exactly where you find someone with the brains to put together a system that tracks both storms and sharks. He ends up agreeing to every crazy plan she comes up with, because he’s immediately smitten with her. Nova doesn’t feel the same, she sees him as a sidekick, and later, a friend.

Nova plans for the worst, but she also quietly begins a network of people who have been hurt in these storms, just like her. She doesn’t want to be out there in the public eye and most of them don’t either, so they work together in support groups and online communities to deal with their trauma and ensuing recoveries. While Fin and April write their books and appear on any TV show that will interview them, Nova works in private and more powerful ways.

Nova finds Skye when she’s not even looking for her. That's because no one is looking for Skye, since she had been presumed dead after New York. Someone she knows online tells her about a survivor found in the city who was so severely injured she had to be brought back to life more than once. They also inform Nova that she’s been hidden in a rehab center in upstate New York, so that’s where Nova heads to meet with her.

Skye is still learning to walk again, so she’s sitting in a chair in her private room when Nova walks in.

“Skye?”

There’s a dawning of faint recognition on Skye’s face as she softly says, “I know you.”

When strangers on the street say that to her, she rolls her eyes, but she won’t do that to Skye. Nova sits on the edge of Skye’s empty bed and says, “You do? I thought you have memory loss.”

“I do, but it’s spotty. I remember celebrities and song lyrics, things like that. I don’t remember my life. They say it will probably come back eventually but -“

“Do you remember the attack?”

She shakes her head and asks, “Do you? That’s how I remember you, right? You were on the news. Swallowed by a shark or something.”

“Yeah, that’s me. The name is Nova, by the way. And yeah, I remember every second of it. Most days, I wish I didn’t.”

“You knew Fin?”

“I did.”

“Me too. Or, that’s what they tell me.”

Nova looks at her with wonder in her eyes. “Amnesia not withstanding, you’re a goddamn miracle of medical science.”

Skye laughs and responds, “I’m Frankenstein’s monster. Pulled apart and put back together again.”

“Does Fin know you’re alive? Does _anyone_? Everyone thought you were dead -”

“I died three times, at least, pretty sure I saw the light and all of that. Thought I’d keep things low key, especially since I can’t remember shit anyway. So, no, no one knows.”

“Holy shit.”

“How did _you_ find me?”

A slight grin creeps across her lips as she nonchalantly shrugs and answers, “I have people.”

Skye looks at her and Nova can see the uncertainty written all over her face. “Why are you here?”

“I have an offer for you.”

Nova goes on to tell her all about her network, about her work with Lucas and her plans to keep fighting even if it eventually kills her. When she finishes, Skye’s uncertainty has turned into complete disbelief, as she says, “You want me, a woman who can barely walk fifty feet, to come with you and learn how to fight sharknadoes?”

Nova cringes at that last word. “I hate that word, but yes.”

“What else should we call them?”

“I have no idea, but you know Americans, if we can’t find a way to squish names together, then it’s not worthwhile. Brangelina, Bennifer, Kimye, and now sharknadoes.”

“Seriously though, why _me_?”

Nova sighs and gives her the most serious look she can muster. Her voice is soft and low as she answers, “You may not remember what you did in New York, but I know. I know how hard you fought, how you sacrificed yourself and how hard you’re still fighting and -“

She pauses and speaks in a firmer tone as she continues, “I need people like that if I’m going to stop more people from suffering like you have. People who don’t give up and who are mad as hell. If that’s not you, then I’ll leave you in peace, but I don’t think I’m wrong about you.”

Skye looks downward and puts her hands on her legs, smoothing them over her sweatpants, but also as a reminder to both of them of the mess of scars that lie beneath her clothes. “I’m half the woman I used to be. Literally.”

Nova shrugs with one shoulder and says, “You’ll keep getting better.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then fifty percent of the woman who saved New York City is still better than one-hundred percent of anyone else.”

Skye looks up at her again and Nova can see her mouth start to move into a grin, and that’s when she knows she has her. After a moment, she finally says, “How soon can you get me out of here?”

“I’m already arranging physical therapy and care for you at my place up in New Hampshire. If the doctor clears you to travel, we can leave tomorrow.”

“Then I guess I’m signing up.”

Nova smiles then puts out her hand as Skye leans forward to grip it tightly. “Welcome to the resistance.”

 

~

 

Lucky for them, Lucas was some sort of child star for a brief time in the early 2000s and he has plenty of cash on hand to equip their entire operation. He also moves them into his house on the outskirts of town, where he sets up plenty of space for Nova to train.

Skye works on walking again first, getting stronger at rates that impress everyone, including her physical therapist. When she feels strong enough, Nova starts to train her in various forms of weaponry. She’s decent with firearms, but remarkably skilled with a sword, which means closer combat than she’s probably mentally prepared for but Nova is optimistic that she’ll get there eventually. They leave most of the science and tech to Lucas, but learn as much as they can from him about tracking storms. 

Nova doesn’t believe in miracles, not even being swallowed by a shark changed that for her. But, for her, Skye’s recovery is the closest thing to a miracle she’s ever seen. There are bad days amongst all of those good ones, and there are days when Nova can see that Skye is in pain, even though she never complains.

They work side by side, for nearly a year, and more importantly they bond in a way that almost transcends definition. Friends, absolutely, but there’s only a handful of people on Earth who know what they’ve been through, and it creates an instant bond between them. Skye understands Nova and Nova understands Skye, and though they don’t always agree, they always _get_ each other. Nova never pushes Skye into trying to recover her memories, because she likes this version of Skye just as she is.

They’re driving home from one of Skye’s doctor appointments when a surprise summer storm hits. Storms always make Nova nervous even though there hasn’t been any shark-related storms since New York, but she works hard to stay strong through it. Skye gets nervous too, but on this particular ride home, Nova notices that she’s shakier than she’s ever seen her before. 

Lighting crashes all around them as they hurry from the car to the house, but suddenly Skye collapses just before she reaches the front porch and Nova immediately kneels on the ground beside her. She wraps her arms around Skye who covers her eyes with her hands and begins rocking back and forth rhythmically.

“Skye, what is it? What’s happening?”

She answers in sobs, the painful kind that start deep within and they cause her body to shudder underneath Nova. Nova holds her tighter and repeats, “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

They’re out there for a long while, getting soaked by the rain, when Lucas comes out and helps her pull Skye under the cover of the porch. He runs back inside and then returns with towels and blankets to help them dry off. 

Skye finally stops crying, but she doesn’t move out of Nova’s embrace, she just whispers, “I remember. I remember it all.”

 

~

 

Nova doesn’t know what to do in the wake of Skye’s revelation. She even calls her own therapist to ask for advice, who gives her a perfunctory answer about giving Skye space if she wants but also being there for her if she needs that. When Nova ends the call, she looks at Lucas and dryly says, “I need to find a new therapist.”

They talk a little bit, but not about Skye’s memories and Skye tells her she needs a break from training, at least for now. Nova doesn’t push or complain, she just tries to give Skye exactly what she needs. All Nova can do is hope that once she can reconcile her past with her present, things will get back to the way they were.

A week after Skye’s collapse, Lucas comes running up the stairs from the basement while Nova is making lunch for everyone. He looks absolutely frantic and Nova can read him like a book.

“It’s happening again,” she says it as a statement of fact, not a question.

He nods as he says, “Looks like one heading for the DC area, and then more further south, Florida probably. We have a little bit of a head start but not much.”

Nova sighs and puts down the knife she was using, then looks up towards the second floor. “She’s not ready. And I’m not sure if we should leave her alone -“

“You started that support network for a reason.”

“I know, I just - she needs _me._ “

“This is everything we’ve been working towards.”

Nova nods in understanding. The timing couldn’t be worse, though she supposes there’s never a good time for a tornado of sharks, or in this case, _multiple_ sharknadoes. “I need to talk to her first.”

“Of course.”

She heads upstairs and takes a deep breath before she knocks on Skye’s door, waiting for her to say it’s okay before she lets herself in. Skye is sitting in the middle of her bed writing in the journal her shrink had recommended for her. She closes it and tosses it aside, rolling her eyes as she says, “This whole journaling thing is stupid.”

Nova laughs softly, pleased that there’s still a spark of the Skye she knows in there. Before or after New York, Skye would have thought journaling wasn’t for her. Nova sits on the opposite side of the bed facing her and looks down, tracing the squares on the bedspread with her fingers for a moment.

“What’s wrong?”

Nova smiles because even in this state, Skye can sense that something is up with Nova. She looks back up and says, “It’s happening again. Worse than Los Angeles and worse than New York. Combined.”

“You have to go.”

“I don’t want to leave you here.”

Skye lifts her hands from her lap and Nova can see the slight tremor in them as she says, “I’m not ready.”

Nova reaches out and holds on to Skye’s hands. “You don’t have to be.”

“I’m sorry, Nova, I really wanted to -“

“Don’t be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. All I care about is that you’re okay. I can stay here if you need me to.”

She shakes her head immediately, emphatically answering, “No, you have to go. This is what you’ve been planning for.”

“I can call someone from the network to come stay with you. Elizabeth, maybe?”

Skye gives her a look of pure disdain and Nova laughs before she continues, “Okay, not Elizabeth. How about Michelle?”

“Michelle can come.”

Skye suddenly pulls her in for a tight hug as she says, “Just promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ll come back in one piece.”

Nova hugs her back and then lets go, grinning as she replies, “Are you kidding me? Those dumbass sharks are afraid of _me,_ not the other way around. I’ll be fine.”

She’s gotten awfully lucky so far, but Nova hopes she can keep her promise to Skye this time.

 

~

 

Nothing goes even remotely according to plan. She runs into Fin again, loses Lucas and somehow ends up fighting earthbound sharknadoes to clear a path for Fin to go into space. When the battle is over and a large piece of space debris takes out April, her only reaction is to sigh as if nothing can possibly surprise her anymore.

“Well. I’m gonna go.”

Fin stares at her in surprise and says, “That’s it? Nice to see you, thanks for killing a bunch of sharks with me, sorry your wife is dead, have a nice day?”

“Yeah, Fin, that’s it. I have things to attend to - and there’s Lucas - I have to call his family and -“

She pauses because maybe now is the right time to tell him Skye is alive and mostly well. Or maybe there isn’t a right time for that. Nova swallows the lump in her throat and decides that if Skye wants to see Fin, she’ll let Skye make that decision.

“I’m sorry about April. I really am. But I have to go.”

“What if -“  


“I hope to God that was the last sharknado either of us will ever see. But if it’s not, then I’ll find you. You seem to be a magnet for these things.”

That is a whole other phenomenon she’s going to have to study: the reason why Fin is always at the center of things. Lucas is irreplaceable in so many ways, but she would have to find someone who knows the science side of things eventually. That thought gets pushed out of her head for now though, because her number one concern is getting home to Skye.

Nova starts trudging down the beach towards the road and turns back briefly to wave goodbye at Fin. She hopes that if she ever does run into him again, it won’t be because sharks are flying at them.

She has to do a little hitchhiking to get to town, then takes a cab to the airport and gets on the first flight back home. It’s past three a.m. when she walks up the front steps to the house with nothing but the clothes on her back, some cash in her pocket and her driver’s license. 

“Shit,” she mutters, realizing that she left her house keys back in the RV where Lucas died. Nova tries the door, but it’s locked so she rings the doorbell and waits.

When the door opens, it’s Skye who immediately pulls her inside and wraps her in a hug. “Oh thank God, you’re okay.”

Nova hugs her back and then lets go as she grins, “I promised you I would be.”

Skye looks past her as if she expects Lucas to come running up the front steps any second now, but there’s no one there. Skye and Lucas had developed a funny brother-sister dynamic over the past year, where Skye is always ribbing him and Lucas is always happily taking shit from her because they secretly adore each other.

Nova breathes in a ragged breath and speaks so softly that she’s not sure Skye can hear her at first, “Lucas didn’t make it.”

Skye closes her eyes and Nova puts her hands on her arms as she continues, “You should have seen him though. He was brave and totally badass. He died to save me, to save a lot of other people too.”

Her eyes open again and she nods as she says, “That little shit. I always knew he would end up doing something stupid like that.”

Nova laughs softly and lets go of Skye to head to the couch, where they sit down together. She hasn’t cried for Lucas yet, but suddenly she feels a few tears running down her face. Skye puts an arm around her shoulder and pulls her in so that Nova’s head is on Skye’s shoulder. 

“I don’t know what we’re going to do without him,” Nova says, her voice breaking in the middle of her sentence.

“We do exactly what Lucas would want us to do. We keep going.”

Skye reaches for Nova’s hand and squeezes it and Nova knows she’s doing it as a show of strength, for both of them.

“You seem like you’re feeling better.”

Skye puts her feet up on the coffee table, and Nova can’t help but smile thinking about how Lucas would get on her case for doing that. “Nah, I’m still a goddamn mess, but I’m getting there. Better now that you’re here, though.”

Nova wipes her tears away and sighs loudly. She will grieve for Lucas, but she will fight on, because that’s what she’s always done. At least now she doesn’t have to do it alone.


End file.
